A former No. 1 pick in the WNBA draftknown fondly as "Large Marge" died after suffering a heart attack a week ago, devastating her fans and former teammates. Australian-born Margo Dydekwas picked first by for the now-defunctUtah Starzz in 1998 and played for San Antonio, Connecticut and Los Angeles.
At 7-foot-2, she was the tallest known women's basketball player in the world and held the record for most blocks in a WNBA career, with 877 in 323 games.
She last signed with the Sparks in 2008, shortly after giving birth to her first child.
Last week, the 37-year-old was pregnant with her third child when she suffered a heart attack and was placed in a medically induced coma. She was working as the head coach of the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League in Australia.
"Always in our hearts - Margo," a statement on the Northside Wizards' website said. "With great sadness we acknowledge the passing of … Margo Dydek. Margo suffered a heart attack just over a week ago and passed away Friday 27th May, peacefully and surrounded by her family."
She is survived by her husband, David, and two sons, Alex and David.
"People gravitated toward her," Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault told ESPN. "She had friends everywhere in the league, in every city. And they weren't just basketball people. She just met people and started talking to them. She had a wide variety of friends.
"As a basketball player, she impacted our franchise tremendously. But it's amazing what a unifying force she is as far as everybody always referred to her as one of the best teammates they ever had. I can't think of anybody who didn't like her a lot. She just got what you're supposed to be as a person, as a friend."
At 7-foot-2, she was the tallest known women's basketball player in the world and held the record for most blocks in a WNBA career, with 877 in 323 games.
She last signed with the Sparks in 2008, shortly after giving birth to her first child.
Last week, the 37-year-old was pregnant with her third child when she suffered a heart attack and was placed in a medically induced coma. She was working as the head coach of the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League in Australia.
"Always in our hearts - Margo," a statement on the Northside Wizards' website said. "With great sadness we acknowledge the passing of … Margo Dydek. Margo suffered a heart attack just over a week ago and passed away Friday 27th May, peacefully and surrounded by her family."
She is survived by her husband, David, and two sons, Alex and David.
"As a basketball player, she impacted our franchise tremendously. But it's amazing what a unifying force she is as far as everybody always referred to her as one of the best teammates they ever had. I can't think of anybody who didn't like her a lot. She just got what you're supposed to be as a person, as a friend."
